Over 600 billion tenge expended on travel bookings via aggregators
Kazakhstan Sees Increase in Spending on Ride-hailing Services
In 2024, citizens of Kazakhstan spent approximately 606.2 billion tenge on travel arrangements facilitated by e-commerce platforms. This represents a 25% increase from the previous year's spending of 485.3 billion tenge.
According to data from the Data Hub Telegram channel, the average Kazakhstani spent around 30,000 tenge on ride-hailing services in 2024, marking an increase from the 24,500 tenge spent in 2023.
Taxi aggregators are particularly popular in Kazakhstan. The country has consistently ranked among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries with the highest taxi fares. According to Numbeo data as of May 30, Kazakhstan ranks 86th out of 125 participating countries in terms of average taxi fare per kilometer, with a charge of 400 tenge.
Neighboring countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Russia charge lower rates for taxi services. Kyrgyzstan charges an average of 116 tenge per kilometer, while Russia charges 232 tenge. Comparatively, Armenia and Belarus have average taxi fares of 172 tenge and 167 tenge, respectively.
It's worth noting that these are average prices and that various factors, such as traffic and weather conditions, can impact fare prices. Fare surges have previously been discussed here.
While Kazakhstan is recognized for its robust economic growth and developed transport sector, there is no evidence that it specifically leads other CIS countries in terms of taxi fare size. Comparisons between countries would depend on factors such as fuel prices, city size, demand, and government regulations, none of which have been documented as unusually high in Kazakhstan.
Recent travelogues suggest that taxi fares in Kazakhstan are generally reasonable, with long-distance rides documented at economically viable prices. Kazakhstan's strong economic growth and robust transport infrastructure do not automatically imply unusually high taxi fares.
In the realm of technology-based services, a significant portion of the spent funds in Kazakhstan's finance sector was channeled towards ride-hailing services in 2024, reflecting a substantial 25% increase from the previous year. Given the growing popularity of taxi aggregators in the country, it's plausible that the finance sector may continue to invest in the intersection of finance and technology in transportation.
